Process for preparing ore-dust for smelting.



Patented July 14,1914.

Y. SHA..

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INVE NTOR ATTQnNEv/s Vv. GOUPBR. ss POR PREPARmu om: DUST PoR SMBLTING.

PROGB APPLICATION FILED APR. 20,1914.

WITN ES We f piles of ore dust a suitable hardr-ininr .einer lili@ vvinnraiu escena, or

Ti i l' w 'a f river on rfi i aidant i i ma@ BENVER, CULRDQ.

' .application ined aan 2o, 191i.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, llVILLL-ui Coornn, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of DenverB in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented or discovered new and useful improvements in lrocesscs for Preparing @re-Dust for Smelting, of which 'the following is a specication.

My invention .consists in a new and improved process for preparing" lue dust and other metallic ores in powdered forni for sinelting.

ln the smelting of soit heinatite ores in the production of pig iron, quantities of the same in the form of fine dust escape through the gas outlets of the furnace and accumulate in the dust chambers or pass into the hot stoves or under the boilersL lhe accumulations oi flue dust inust be frequently removed, and, as it would be useless to recharge the saine into the :furnaceJ9 it is piled up out of the way. is a result the "fun nace yards are encunibered with vast quan tities ci waste material which is rich in metallic values.

lt is the purpose of my present invention o treat these accumulations oi `metallic dust in such a manner that it can be conveniently charged into the 'furnac and snielted or used as a deoxidizer in anopen hearth steel furnace. l

My process consists in introducing into the inediuimpreferably introduced in liqui form, which causes the material to solidify so that it may then be hrolren up, as by blast ing', into chunks, which latter may he charged into the furnace. The hardening; medium best suited is a thin solution or cen nient such as a milk of cement formed by mixing' the latter with suiiicient water so asto enable the mixture to readily permeate a body of ore dust., l prefer to use hy'- draulic cement for this purpose lout l may use milk oit linie. The grout thus formed. by the ore dust and the solution is allowed to harden into a solid body and is then broken up in chunks for the furnace. in accoinpanyingI drarvvirn"c which are i: tended to illustrate the wo vng ci the process., liigure l represents ihe side elevation of a pile of ore dustE partially broken away in sections, and also apparatus partially in sections for'introducing the han Specification of Letters Patent.

dening medium; 2 is cross section Patented duly tl-,139ML Serial No. 833,153.

along the line ll-lll in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a similar view along the line lil-dll in Fig. l.

The following is a detailed description of the working of my process as the saine is illustrated in the drawings.

A is'a pile of ore dust which is to b treated.

B is a tank containing a supply of milk of cement or other liquid binder which is keptagitated by means ot stirrer l.

C is a pump communicating at its inlet with the tank 'E and having its outlet connected to a llexible hose 2 whose other end is detachably connected with the top of a nozzle pipe D whose lower end is closed and pointed. l

3 is a valve in the upper portion of the nozzle lli. 'The pipe D is provided for its lower length with a plurality of perora 5 represents bars or members of metal or wood which are driven horizontally into the ore pile at convenient points before the treatment begins.

The pipe D is driven down vertically into the oiepile adjacent to one end thereof to the hottoni or the pile. The binding solution is then pumped into said pipe and allowed to escape through the perforations 1i, mingling with and saturating the surrounding ore dust. 'lhe mill: will penetrate the interstices between the ore particles in all directions and when a suiiicient area has been saturated, l raise the pipe somewhat and repeat the oijieration of saturation, when l again raise the pipe and again saturate the surrounding material. rl`his alternate raising and pumping is continued until a saturated body of ore for the full height of the pile and surrounding1 the bore of the pipe D is formed Il then withdraw the pipe D and insert it at a new spot and repeat the operation of saturation. rlhis is continued until the entire pile or so much thereof as may be desired treated'and saturated. ln Fig. l the dotted holes D' indicate previous locations oi the pipe E, the ore dust adjacent to said locations having been treated. The saturation of the desired amount or" ore having ,been accomplished, the pipe D is withdrawn from its last insertion and the saturated mass of dust allowed to harden and solidify7 the members 5 being rotated. in their holes at the proper intervals to prevent their being bound in place. When ico -also on the make up of the same.

the mass has hardened, the members 5 are Withdrawn and explosives inserted in the holes thus left in the hardened mass of ore which when fired break up the mass into chunks which may be conveniently charged into the furnace. The chemical composition of the resulting product enables' it tobe luxed by the fluxing material present in the furnace and there 1s no possibility of the escape of the ore constituent'in the form of dust.,

By means of my 'improved process the metallic values of the ore dust are entirely recovered at a minimum expense as the cost of the binder and of the explosives is not great and no expensive special machinery is required as where the dust is nodulated or briqueted.

The amount of liquid binder required depends upon the density of the pile of ore zlilnd T us Where the dust is substantially clean ore less cement Will be required than Where coke dust is present While the presence of lime dust in the ore reduces the amount of c ement required. As a general rule from 295% to 10% of binder to ore dust should be used. The more cement used, the more quicklyY Willv the mass harden so that economy is obtained Where Weak solution is given a long period in which to harden and bind the ore dust into solid form.

What I desire to claim is:-

l. Theprocess of preparing ore-dust for smelting',` which consists in solidifying a mass of the ,'same'by saturating it with a solution of calcareous binder, permitting the mass to harden, and then brealn'ng the mass into chunks.

2. The process of preparing ore-dust for smelting, Which consists in solidifying a mass of the same by saturating it with a solution of calcareous binder, permitting the mass to harden, and then introducing explosives into said mass and blasting the latter into chunks.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Penna., this 18th day of April, 1914.

WILLAM CQOPER. Witnesses: E. ALAURENCE,

A. W. FORSYTH. 

